People are increasingly using household robots for chores, communication, entertainment and companionship. But safety and privacy risks of information-gathering objects that move around our homes are not yet adequately addressed, according to a new University of Washington study.

It’s not a question of evil robots, but of robots that can be misused.

“A lot of attention has been paid to robots becoming more intelligent and turning evil,” said co-author Tadayoshi Kohno, a UW assistant professor of computer science and engineering. “But there is a much greater and more near-term risk, and that’s bad people who can use robots to do bad things.”